Peyton Manning turns to young WR’s
Article written by Tom Oldfield
The New York Jets might have denied Peyton Manning’s Colts a perfect season back in week 16 but they were powerless to stop the Indianapolis quarterback driving his team to Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday. Manning completed 26 of 39 passes for 377 yards and threw for three touchdowns in a 30-17 victory.
All the signs pointed to a closer contest. The Jets arrived in Indianapolis on the back of stunning wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and San Diego Chargers. Rex Ryan’s men, paced by rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez and rushing threat Shonn Greene, had been the story of the post season and promised to give Manning a difficult afternoon.
And the formbook was in danger of being overturned yet again when the Jets moved 17-6 ahead with just over two minutes to go in the first half. Sanchez went long to Braylon Edwards before adding a second score with a throw to Dustin Keller. But Manning never looked flustered.
As expected, Jets corner Darrelle Revis did a fine job subduing receiver Reggie Wayne but the Colts have countless weapons and Manning wasted little time in using youngsters Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon, who had one touchdown each. Essentially, both are rookies – Garcon is in his second year but played limited minutes in his first season – yet they came up with huge catches as Indianapolis stormed back into the game.
With some pinpoint passing, Manning helped the Colts cut the lead to 17-13 before half-time, picking out Collie in the end zone. Moments into the second half, Indianapolis was ahead as Garcon eluded the Jets defense to add six more.
Dallas Clark’s touchdown and a Matt Stover field goal iced the lead but Manning’s trust in his younger options was the big story of the day as the hosts ensured that the saga caused by resting their starters in week 16 against the Jets would linger no longer in the memory. Time and again, Manning found Collie or Garcon open and those passing yards ensured the AFC championship was theirs for the taking. The unstoppable Colts scored 24 points unanswered.
The New Orleans Saints provide the final test for Manning but, with Collie and Garcon showing maturity well beyond their years, the Colts have the passing game to make the trip to Miami a memorable one
Tags: Austin Collie, Braylon Edwards, Dallas Clark, Darrelle Revis, Indianapolis Cots, Matt Stover, New York JetsDustin Keller, Peyton Manning, Pierre Garcon, Reggie Wayne, Rex Ryan, Shonn Greene
